The 2013 Season of Champions Curling Championships

A) They never played at the World Junior Curling Championships against Eve Muirhead and B) this is Women's play and not junior play, it's a totally different world from one to another and these girls are so past that point.

Just because one team beat another does not mean that is going to automatically translate into success at the World level. Tirinzoni has been to worlds several times and her best record is 6-5, perhaps she will do better this year, but Ott got hot at the right time last year and it translated into success for her by finally winning a world title. Tirinzoni can be good, but they can also be very inconsistent.

Sigfriddson will be tough to beat, but with Homan, they are more than capable of beating them. Homan came through this week more mature and subdued than I have ever seen her, they made the right call at the right time and didn't get down when things may not have been going their way. I also attribute that to Earle Morris who has really done a 180 with this team. The calibre of shot making that I saw out of Homan this week was something that I have not seen in a Canadian Ladies team in a very long time. Even with Jones at the top of the heap this week, the runbacks and run doubles and ticks and slashes were extremely difficult and done with ease and precision.

If there's one thing that Eve Muirhead shown is that while she is capabale of dominating, she can also be wildly inconsistent, she proved that at the Worlds last year with many expecting her to win, she didn't even make playoffs and lost to the Russians at the recent European Finals, so you never know what you're going to get. Homan also beat her this season in an arena at a Grand Slam event, so I'm not worried about their ability to beat Murihead.

I am so happy I'll be able to cheer Team Canada on at the Womans Worlds in Latvia in a few weeks. If The Princess and the team had won, that wouldn't have been happening and I hate it when that happens. Anyway....

So thrilled for Rachel and the Girls. They made some great shots the past week and none better than that double take out last night. I didn't see a whole lot of the game due to the Oscars, but I saw that one.

And ITA w/what you said about Kelly Scott. The way she and the rest of Team BC treated Team Quebec after their last Round Robin game was proof of that. As they were shaking hands, you could clearly hear Kelly and the others saying...

"Thanks for the game and have a safe trip home...It was great getting to know you this week, hope to see you again soon...Hope you have a problem free trip home..."

And so on...Mom was impressed, but all I said was that it wasn't any surprise to me, as over the years I've always had that impression of Kelly and her Team. I really do hope her finish here gets her and the girls a Trials spot, as they've still got game in them and would be worthy of being our Team Canada on the Women's side of things in Sochi.

As would Rachel and her Team too. However, they've got a World Championships to represent us as Team Canada at first and I wish them all the luck in the World going to Latvia. I also think that if the team we saw this week shows up there, then Eve Muirhead has some problems on her hands.

That's the Scotties. Next stop is the Brier and what a field too!! Can't wait for Saturday to roll around and the coverage to start.

ETA: latest tweet: "So we are going with the opening draw and no Martin-Stoughton or Howard. I got a set of big ones, don't I"

This sort of comment annoys me, there was a lot of whiny comments like that during TOH. Only three rounds can feature a match-up between Martin-Stoughton-Howard. That leaves 14 that won't have a match-up between them. Even if you extend to include NL and NO that's only 10 rounds max that would have a "marquee match-up".

It is such a shame the lack of respect the great Jennifer Jones gets on this site. She is arguably the greatest Canadian womens team of all time and deserves respect. She is also a wonderful and classy lady.

The Brier will be a good event with 3 proven Champions who have roughly equal chances to win. On form this season I would probably pick Stoughton slightly though.

It is such a shame the lack of respect the great Jennifer Jones gets on this site. She is arguably the greatest Canadian womens team of all time and deserves respect. She is also a wonderful and classy lady.

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*blinks*...*snort*...*snicker*....BAHWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh...Forgive me. You're actually serious. Well, I've noticed parallels over the years when it comes to people and the athletes they like/cheer for, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But hey, I guess if you think someone who acts like an entitled little witch, who does not treat the fans well, treated Cathy Overton-Claptom the disgusting way she and the others did, has a reputation of not showing up for fan things at the Worlds she's been to and thanks to my Cousin who works at Rama who told me the way she acted and treated the Staff there during the one and only time she's ever been invited to the Skins Game over the years; that she did *not* win any friends or influence people is a "wonderful and classy lady", then that's your right.

Just don't come in here and try to defend Jennifer and then get all upset and outraged over how the rest of us and majority of fans that I've chatted w/over the years feel about her. There's a reason why she gets called The Princess or Her Highness around this house and it's not because of how she plays. I always say there's more to being a Champion than what you do on the field of play and that's why Jennifer belongs to the group of athletes I refer to as Title Holders only. Not a Champion. Not even close.

I'm not going to ask, as it's up to you if you want to share, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I also wasn't curious.

Hmmm...Some interesting play so far and also some comments about the rocks too. Is it just the First Day of Play and the ice hasn't really been "broken in" properly yet or could something have happened to the Rocks between the Scotties and the Brier? These are the same rocks being used, right? Regardless, Kevin's just a wee bit "off" for some reason and he wasn't really playing that well before Christmas on the Grand Slam circuit either, so....Hmmm!!

And no sooner do I say that...LOL!!! What a shot and Way To Go Boys for getting him there too!!

I'm not going to ask, as it's up to you if you want to share, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I also wasn't curious.

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Nothing really... just observations/encounters at a few events over the years, plus a good friend who works in sports media has told me some stories about her that make "wonderful and classy" seem kind of farfetched.

Good game between Martin and Howard tonight. Gushue played lights out in both of his games today (granted, against weaker opponents).

Jennifer Jones won the Money list on the World Curling Tour for 8 straight years from 2005-2012. She was the best on the planet for 8 years. Probably would have made it 9 had she not had a baby and missed most of this season. Nobody in the history of curling was that dominant. Some even rate Norberg above Jones, but that is a huge mistakes, as Norberg could not win the Money list on the World Curling Tour even once, so even in the years she was winning those World and Olympic titles Jones was always better. Someone who was best in the World 8 years is always better than someone who was 0 years. Schmirler was amazing but was best in the World about 4 years- 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, maybe give her 5 since in 1995 she dominated most of the season even though she fell at the Scotts. Colleen Jones was the best in Canada in a weaker Canadian era, probably benefiting greatly from the tragic passing of the great Schmirler, but was generally owned by the top European teams of her time.

Anyway back to the Brier I thought the Stoughton and Martin game was a tenative game by both teams, but glad Stoughton was able to win. Gushue looks on fire early on. He might surprise some people this week. Glenn Howard was very sluggish it seemed in his 1st game but still won. It is hard to guage how he will do as he struggled at provincials, but he struggled last early in the Brier and by the end of it was playing some of his best ever curling. However this year he hasnt had as good a season as he had last year by a long ways, and his nemisis Kevin Martin and Stoughton were not in the Brier last year.

Nothing really... just observations/encounters at a few events over the years, plus a good friend who works in sports media has told me some stories about her that make "wonderful and classy" seem kind of farfetched.

Good game between Martin and Howard tonight. Gushue played lights out in both of his games today (granted, against weaker opponents).

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Same here, only w/me it's been more than just *a* friend who has experienced what she's really like. As I said, my cousin got a front row seat to what she's like and then we've got Family Friends who have been to the last few Scotties and pretty much confirmed what most think of Her Highness.

Anyway...

My boys from the Soo are doing really well so far. Fingers crossed it keeps going on.

Great game between Nlfd and New Brunswick tonight. We had company most of the day, so really didn't get a chance to see much of things, but what we did was pretty great curling. Oh and one embrassing spill by Jamie Koe during the game against Quebec. His face was a pretty great match to the red of his uni.

NL and Quebec are both off to really good starts including Quebec not just beating Alberta but beating them handily! 1-2 is probably not the way Martin and the boys thought they would have started but they really seem to be having issues with the new stones and reading the ice which has given way to a few picks this way. It doesn't get any easier this way either when they face Team Bicep er uh Northern Ontario today, but if they can get a handle on things like they did last night then I think they'll start to get it going.

Glad Glenn was able to knock off Stoughton. This could very well be a preview of the Trials Final in December. I think tomorrow will really start to give us an idea of where the teams are heading. Gushue is perfect but has yet to face any of the top guns right now. Will be interesting to see what happens!

Glad Glenn was able to knock off Stoughton. This could very well be a preview of the Trials Final in December. I think tomorrow will really start to give us an idea of where the teams are heading. Gushue is perfect but has yet to face any of the top guns right now. Will be interesting to see what happens!

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Gushue's last 4 games are against MB, AB, ON, and QU. Could be a rough end to the week...

7-4 can STILL get Alberta a tiebreaker but they have got to get their act together. Grattan certainly earned his win today, and deserved it, but with Newfoundland and Ontario still to play... I fear it may be too late for the boys in blue and yellow. It's unfortunate because it is in his hometown, it's embarrassing to say the least, but I also think that this team may be coming to the end of their partnership. Certainly there is still the Olympic Trials, but they clearly aren't the team they once were. They've been together as a team for nearly seven years which in curling these days is an absolute eternity. I think Martin will be done after the Trials if they don't win. He wants to be on the links in Palm Springs, I can't blame him, he's won absolutely everything there is to win in the sport, but they aren't the dominant team they once were.

Interesting to see where this is going... Newfoundland, Manitoba, Northern Ontario, Ontario and Quebec seem to be the contenders at the moment...

Martin absolutely owns Howard and Gushue in head to head play at the Brier over the years. If he can win his next 4 vs seemingly very beatable teams, and have recovered close to his best form by then, he could well still win 6 in a row and make the playoffs. Not saying it will happen though.

The hard part starts tonight for NL, facing Jeff Stoughton. (Also for NB, facing ON. A win would be huge, if unlikely ...). I was a little worried today PEI hung in there against NB right up to the end.

I guess CCA doesn't want anyone from the east Coast watching the late draws the rest of the week - starting 10:30 our time...

Yep, the last telecast of the Briar is too late for us early risers. So NL lost their 1st which I figured they would...they have some of the more "fightin" teams to play now, I believe. Howard still hangin' in, woot woot. I hope NO rallies and comes back strong today. Could care less about Martin, although he seems to be improving his record against a couple of the weaker teams........what a whiner.

I think Martin is looking for excuses to justify the lousy play. A lot of times when things don't go someone's way, they look for something to blame. Granted these stones and the ice by comparison to past events (and I live in this city and have been to the arena many times) have been pretty lousy, but the other teams are adjusting and getting the information they need on the stones. Looking at the schedule, they can certainly still make a tiebreaker, but they HAVE to win out, realize what made them the best team in the world for 3 years, and get back to that level, because if they don't, they face the possibility of a losing record, which would be beyond embarrassing. Ontario and Manitoba are looking the best so far. Nothing too flashy but just solid and consistent so far.

Yeah our junior women have struggled not just this year, but we haven't won a junior women's world title since Marilese Miller (Now Kasner) made an insane angle run back against the US women in the final in 2003 to win it, there's been silver and bronze, but no title. So another year goes by that we don't win.

I'm starting to think that 7-4 just may get a tiebreaker, which for Martin would be an absolute miracle after the week he has had here. It's still up in the air as to who will be in the playoffs. Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Northern Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan all still have a chance, though one of Alberta or SK will be eliminated from that equation tonight when they play each other. Northern Ontario is still struggling a bit, I think with chemistry and what seems like Ryan Fry ganging on on Jacobs, blaming a lot of their problems on him which I don't think his fair. Ontario and Manitoba are still playing the best. NL has yet to beat the big guns right now.

As well as a Territories win over Manitoba. These boys are talented, if they could get out of the north more often, they'd be contending consistently, but the costs and time away from family doesn't allow that. I am pulling for Martin and the boys to at least get into a tiebreaker, this is the ONE time they'll get to play on home ice at the Brier.

They need help though. Northern Ontario really helped themselves out by winning last night against Stoughton. There are a ton of scenarios that can get him in or keep him out. Ontario is by far the best team. Glenn is making great shots, but the team behind him is really making great shots to make his job easy. They'll either be unbeaten or 10-1 at the worst. Going to be an intriguing final draw tonight!

Barring a miracle, I think the playoff teams will be Ontario, Newfoundland, Northern Ontario and Manitoba I think Alberta is pretty much eliminated unfortunately. Manitoba plays BC and Northern Ontario plays Nova Scotia. I highly doubt MB or NO lose to NS or BC.